Should Anti-Abortion Advertising be Banned?

[Redalgo]

Anti-abortion advertising of the sort shown is distasteful but warrants protection as free speech. If it were up to me though the government would not put up ads on its property aside from general public service announcements, equally allotted space for party ads or the candidates in upcoming elections, or otherwise statements with content neutral concerning different political, religious, and economic factions, social groups, etc.

[Redalgo]

Why though, Link? I don't see having an abortion or being a nicotine addict, to use those as examples, of good things to feel bad about. Accidents happen, sometimes people have good intentions but imperfectly act on them, do not have enough information before making decisions, and are affected by forces that are honestly beyond their control. Getting help for it is already a huge hassle and source of stress, and adding clever forms of emotional abuse to the equation is horrible on the part of advertisers.

Personally, my defense of the ads is not on grounds that they are good or even harmless. The same could be said of many forms of political propaganda and hackery in the media similarly protected in spite of their detrimental affects on individuals and society alike.

[Redalgo]

I don't understand your point.  You never say sorry or feel bad after accidents?

I do, and I also feel bad after accidents involving even the lowliest forms of life, on a personal level.

But my point in this case is that if an abortion occurs early enough the main victim is the mother in having become stuck in the situation. It depends on the specifics whether she really ought to feel bad about making the choice. I mean, if a condom broke should the gal be ashamed of herself? If she is raped is she supposed to beat herself up over having an abortion? What if she is very poor or knows she would be an inadequate parent in some regard or is otherwise not up for the challenge at this point in her life, and knows there are already a lot of kids in the world needing adoption? And even if it is her fault for getting to that point, and she wants an abortion for selfish reasons, does she really deserve to feel awful about looking out for her own interests when it is probably for the best, all around?

Maybe we are just placing different amounts of value on the life of the unborn in question here. Before third trimester I honestly can't bring myself to see the unborn as more valuable than a fish or frog or other creature closer to having the same mental faculties. I do not think there are any souls involved, or that the beginning of life equates to the beginning of sentience, sapience, etc. Very nearly all abortions occur early on so I'm not talking about the partial-birth termination stuff. The ads in question may as well be compared to PETA fliers passive-aggressively vilifying hunters, fishermen, and ranchers regardless of their respective ethos, motivations, or conduct.